iBaby M7 Vs M8 vs Arlo vs Other Baby Monitors: Best For iPhones

iBaby M7, More Than A Video Monitor

iBaby M7 is among our best wifi baby monitors, that utilize 5 GHz frequency coming behind Nanit Plus and Nanit Pro. However, iBaby emerged as the best wifi baby monitor for iPhone devices as it works great with the iPhone and iPad’s retina display.

iBaby Labs released iBaby M7 as an improvement to iBaby M6 with two specific additions; the moonlight projections and smell sensors. iBaby M7 is one of the six iBaby Lab’s monitors from its list which include, iBaby Care M7 Lite, iBaby Monitor M2S Plus, iBaby Monitor M6S. We have a comparison below.

As of this update, iBaby M7 is ranked among the best-selling baby monitors on Amazon with some big brands such as Nanit, Arlo Baby, and Nest Cam Indoor. It is however important, and we’ve laid down the differences below, to note that iBaby M7 is designed as a baby monitor FIRST. Unlike Arlo baby and Nest Cameras, iBaby has most of the features that you’d expect from a baby monitor and 360 degrees pan. In fact, we call the iBaby Care M7 a monitor that’s more than a baby monitor.

iBaby M7 Vs Arlo Baby Monitor

Both Arlo Baby Monitor and iBaby rely on wifi for transmission but iBaby monitors have a wider pan of 360 degrees and wider tilt of 140 degrees compared to the narrow 130 degrees pan and 90 degrees tilt of Arlo baby monitor. iBaby is also considered a smart baby monitor in that it has diaper and feeding alerts and air quality sensors, features that Arlo baby monitor lacks.

The table below has more details on the similarities and differences between Arlo baby monitor and iBaby M7;

iBaby M7 vs M8

iBaby M8 is an upgrade of iBaby M7 and there are new cool features on the latest M8 release including 2k video resolution which is better than iBaby M7’s 1080p HD resolution. The M8 also has a mounting kit included, unlike iBaby M7 which didn’t have the mounting kit included. iBaby M8 also has QR code installation which improves the security features – a feature that the earlier M7 lacked.

The table below has more differences and similarities between iBaby M8 vs iBaby M7;

Overview of iBaby M7 Features:

Below is a video review of iBaby M7 and its comparison to iBaby M6S.

A few other baby monitors such as Arlo baby and Motorola Halo Plus are some other baby monitors that have included nursery enhancements to the baby monitors. For example, Motorola Halo Plus has 7 night light options, similar to Arlo’s night lights and sleep music.

Why 10BabyGear Rated os iBaby Among Top Wifi Baby Monitors:

1. iBaby M7 Has The Widest Angle View

Mounting a baby monitor in any nursery requires you to know the specifics of the camera’s field of view. With iBaby M7, you don’t have to be worried about the field of view or whether some part of the nursery of the crib will not be covered. iBaby has 360 degrees coverage which means when you place it anywhere in the nursery, the entire nursery view is visible on your smartphone. No other baby monitor we’ve reviewed has this much wide-angle viewing. Even Infant Optics DXR 8 which has an interchangeable lens and Eufy Spaceview which comes with a wide-angle lens can only do a max of 250 degrees coverage. iBaby M7 and all the iBaby monitor series just win in terms of nursery coverage and this is one of the top reasons iBaby Care M7 made it to our list of top wifi baby monitors in 2019.

2. Air Quality Sensors, Notifying You To Change The Diaper

One of the biggest realizations, when you start your parenting experience, is that your baby depends on you for EVERYTHING. Without you, the diapers will not be changed and your baby’s health will deteriorate significantly. For first-time parents, simple reminders of the time to feed or change the diapers come in very handy, and iBaby M7 has incorporated a feature that enables its camera to use in-built air quality sensors and notify you when your baby needs the diapers changed. This is very key and we compared iBaby M7’s air quality sensors with Arlo’s air quality sensors and even though they came close, iBaby has just what you need. iBaby does better with notifications. Arlo baby just lets you know if the air quality is out of the range while iBaby tells you exact details such as ‘the diapers need to be changed.’

In addition to a timely notification on air quality and diaper change time, iBaby M7 has inbuilt sensors to detect dangerous volatile organic compounds (VOC). Most VOC compounds used in cleanings, such as ethanol and Benzene can be harmful to your baby and iBaby Labs realized the need to truly enhance your nursery by adding life-saving alerts and sensors. Arlo baby also has VOC detectors but from an analysis of most parents who’ve used it, Arlo’s alerts are at times false. In addition, iBaby has a far wider list of compounds it detects which include; Ethanol, limonene, acetone, IAQ mixture, butylacetate, toluene, formaldehyde, hydrogen, carbon monoxide, and carbon dioxide.

3. iBaby M7 Has Very High Video Quality – 1080p HD

iBaby M7 streams videos to your smartphone or tablet in 1080p HD which essentially gives you the grain detail of every image of your baby. A few other baby monitors deliver images at this quality and this was another reason that iBaby did better than some great baby monitors that do not offer full-HD images.

4. iBaby Has Remote Pan & Tilt

Despite iBaby offering the widest view among all the baby monitors we’ve reviewed at BMC, iBaby M7 and iBaby M6s allows you to remotely pan and tilt your camera remotely using the iBaby Care App. Using the app, you can adjust the camera angle to capture 360 degrees pan view of the room and up to 140 degrees tilt. One other note that is important and you should consider when buying any adjustable camera is the pan and tilt noises. iBaby does quite well with limiting the noise level as it pans or tilt and as a parent, you won’t be worried waking up the baby because the baby camera is making some noise while it adjusts its viewing angle.

5. Night Light, Lullabies/Soothers:

Like Motorola Halo, iBaby comes with a night soother and night lights which makes it very easy for your baby to fall asleep. When you set the night soother, it runs for 15 minutes and stops automatically. If your baby is not asleep after the 15-minutes soothing session, you can reset and start again for another 15 minutes. To make it easy, you can set a reminder so your iBaby care app reminds you when the soothing session ends.

6. iBaby Has Excellent Night Vision Filters, 940 nm.

iBaby uses 940nm night vision LED filter at night allowing you to view black and white images of your baby despite lack of the visible light (spectrum). iBaby has a night vision range of up to 8 meters which is considered a significantly longer range for a baby monitor considering other baby monitors and security cameras such as Arlo does only 15 to 25 ft.

iBaby Cons

1. Does not work with Google Home. Despite its great design and technology specs, iBaby M7, iBaby M6, and iBaby M7 are not currently supported by Google Home Hub.
2. Security – Despite iBaby using wireless protected access and supporting WPA/WPA2 encryption, it does not use the most advanced encryption standard, the AES-256 bit dual encryption.
3. iBaby Firmware Update: Despite iBaby having one of the most popular baby monitor brands, iBaby required firmware update. Not al brands automatically update.
4. iBaby M7 crib mount and wall mount: iBaby does not come with a wall-mount and you’ll need to purchase a separate wall mount for your iBaby M7 camera.

You can also choose to buy iBaby M7 baby monitor that has a ready-to-install wall-mount here.

iBaby M7 Lite Review

iBaby M7 Lite is a wifi monitor from iBaby Labs that operates from both 2.4GHz and 5 GHz networks. Like all of the monitors from the company, the M7 Lite is a smartphone app-based, allowing you to check on your little from any place, anytime without an extra device.

The monitor streams HD 1080p video to your smartphone via the company’s free iBaby Care app on iOS and Android. It is packed with all the great features you would wish on a baby monitor. The M7 Lite not only allows you to talk to your baby through two-way communication, but it is also loaded with lullabies, white noise, and bedtime stories. You can play from your own music library as well. 

With this monitor, you can enjoy a notch higher wider view of your baby’s nursery with a 360-degree pan and 140-degree tilt, which you adjust remotely from your smartphone. It also features air quality sensor monitors, temperature, and humidity, and CO2 levels. The M7 Lite also has night vision, sound, and motion sensors and will alert you if there is movement or the baby is crying. Plus, you can set alarms to remind you to feed the baby or change their diapers (features new mommies would appreciate).

For security, the iBaby monitor boasts of its AWS military-level security to keep your baby’s data secure. The best thing is that you get this amazing, feature-rich monitor at an incredibly affordable price of $125.00 from Amazon (currently)

Features

• Full HD 1080p
• Two-way audio
• 360 degree Pan & 110 degrees Tilt
• Quick and easy MFI installation for iOS
• TOVC readings and Scent detector
• Lullabies and built-in bedtime stories
• AWS security
• Mommy Assistant diaper & feeding alerts, weight and height charts
• Free daily cloud storage
• Unlimited user access
• Pictures and video sharing on social media

Pros 

• Delivers excellent picture clarity both day and night
• Very easy to install
• Packed with useful features like feeding and diaper changing alarms
• A ton of entertainment features for babies and toddlers
• No need to carry an extra device to monitor your baby
• You get audio footage even when the screen is sleeping

Cons

• Because it is phone-based, it drains your battery fast
• The app is a pain to use on Android phones but runs smoothly on iOS devices.
• It does not come with a wall mount, so you purchase at an extra cost
• Some customers report that the air sensor and temperatures are not accurate sometimes
• Some customers complain that the camera loses signal frequently and you have to keep rebooting
• The app takes time to open

iBaby M7 vs iBaby M6S

iBaby M6s Pros and Cons

Pros:

• It is compatible with iOS and Android apps just like the M7models
• It can play lullabies and voice records
• It can pan and tilt (360, 110 degrees) but the M7 models can tilt to 30 degrees more
• It has night vision and two-way talk with echo cancellation
• Monitors sound and motion and send alerts
• Allows others to share in your videos
• Unlimited user access with privacy settings
• Allows you to receive alerts even when you are on phone or screen is asleep just like the M 7 models

Cons

• It has a lower video resolution of 720p while the M7 models give superior quality with 1080p
• It only operates on 2.4 GHz while the M7 models are dual bands operating on 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz
• It does not have a temperature, humidity, and air quality sensors like the M7 models
• It does not come with a mount like the M7 lite and M7K
• It does not have diaper changing and feeding alerts like the M7 models
• It does not have moonlight and star projection like the M7
• It does not offer child education content like the M7 models

iBaby M7 Vs. iBaby M7 Lite

iBaby M7 has a built-in moonlight display and projector to soothe your baby to sleep while iBaby M7 lite doesn’t. In addition, the M7 lite has wifi speakers with SPA sounds while M7 doesn’t. These speakers produce higher-quality sound with more clarity and louder outputs. The table below has more differentiating features and similarities between M7 and M7 Lite brands of iBaby.

iBaby M7 Vs. Nest

iBaby M7 Vs. Nanit Plus

While both iBaby M7 and Nanit Plus have 1080p HD video quality, the iBaby M7 allows you to get a wider view of the whole room with 360 degrees pan and 140 degrees tilt. Nanit Plus, on the other hand, does not pan or tilt, but you get a bird’s eye view of your baby’s crib because of the overhead mounting.

Both models stream video to your smartphone in 1080p HD, which delivers high-quality video. But the Nanit plus has outstanding clarity both day and night, backed by high ratings.

With the iBaby Care app, you get all the features free, while Nanit plus requires you to pay $10 per month after the first free month to get Nanit insights. 

iBaby Care app allows you to control the monitor and create and adjust the settings. You receive alerts for sound and motion, and you can talk and play lullabies and white noise in your app. This app concentrates more on giving you stats on your baby’s environment like temperature, humidity, and CO2 readings. And you set alarms for feeding and diaper changing. 

Nanit Plus app specializes in improving your baby’s sleep. It provides your baby’s sleep stats each morning, keeps records, and gives you sleep guidance tips from Pediatric experts. You also receive sound and motion alerts, as well as temperature and humidity alerts.

The table below explores more features that differentiate iBaby M7 fron nanit Plus:

iBaby has TVOC and scent sensors. TVOC stands for total volatile organic compounds. VOCs are organic compounds that form part of the air we breathe, and they vary in size per particle. These VOCs can be from things like paint, smoke, cooking, dust, etc. These readings from VOCs change from 20 to 20000, depending on the changes in the environment.

According to the company, their smart VOC sensors can detect many VOCs and, on some level, even the smell of a soiled diaper. However, the app does not tell you what smell it is detecting. Instead, it will notify you by alerting you what level the room quality is, by following the air quality chart that ranges from 1-4.

Nanit offers you sleep insight on the Nanit app. Nanit Insights helps you identify sleep issues, and gives you the tips you need for your baby’s sleep to be in track. Nanit tracks your baby’s sleep patterns, parent visits, room conditions, and more to give you personalized guidance. 

Nanit Plus does not have Pan and Tilt features, but you can zoom. iBaby M7, on the other hand, allows you to adjust the camera by a finger swipe on your app to 360 degrees pan and up to 140 degrees tilt.

iBaby M7 and Integration with Smart Homes

iBaby M7 does not currently integrate with Google Home Hub but it does integrate with Alexa Home. iBaby M7 and iBaby Care M6S integrate with Alexa Home and you can utilize Amazon’s virtual assistant and you can stream your iBaby M7, iBaby M6S and iBaby M7 Lite on your Echo Show.

If you already have Google Home Hub, then iBaby is not your best option except if you plan to change your smart home ecosystem from Google Home to Alexa Home.

iBaby M7 App (Android and iOS) Among the Best Rated

The iBaby is our best-rated baby monitor that works best with the iPhone. See the picture below showing how images look on your iPhone when you stream iBaby.

iBaby Care App has been certified by Apple and has a unique MFI connection that enables it to be faster than the Android devices

Below is a picture of an image appearing on iBaby iPhone app.

iBaby M7 smartphone app is available for iOS and Android devices and below is a summary of what you need to know about iBaby smartphone app:

• 12,201 users of iOS iBaby M7 app gave it a rating of 4.5/5 and 1,926 Android users gave it a rating of 3.2/5.
• While the battery life may not be an issue if you power your iBaby baby monitor using AC, the app consumes your phone battery
• If you plan to monitor twins using iBaby, you should note that you can’t easily toggle between multiple cameras or view two streams on the same screen.
• While voice volume for alerts and music is part of why we like iBaby baby monitors, app users have complained that iBaby music can’t be adjusted to the lowest level that it should go. The lowest level you can go for is still pretty high.

iBaby M7 Manual

If you are looking to install/set-up your iBaby monitor, you should start by mounting your camera in the nursery. Here is a link to the full iBaby M7 manual. On your iBaby app, you can also easily contact the iBaby support team and they respond within 24 hours.

iBaby M7LK (M7 Lite + Wall Mount)- Smart wifi Baby Monitor

iBaby M7LK is the latest brand of iBaby monitor series that hit the markets in 2020.

Below are the features of M7LK:

• iBaby wall mount
• Full HD 1080p video
• Two way audio with echo noise cancellation
• Augmented quality sound speakers
• Pan 360 degree and 140 degrees tilt from touch
• Quick and easy MFI installation
• Military-grade AWS service security
• Temperature and humidity sensors
• Lullabies
• Diaper and feeding alerts
• AWS security
• Mommy Assistant diaper & feeding alerts, weight and height charts
• Free daily cloud storage
• Unlimited user access
• Pictures and video sharing on social media

Pros

• Easy to set up and install
• It has a great picture quality
• The audio is loud and clear

Cons

• Not the cheapest option
• Some customers complain that the picture is grainy
• Just like the M7, the camera frequently disconnects from the wifi, forcing you to keep rebooting.
• It drains your battery life
• A lot of android users complain that the app keeps on freezing and crashing

iBaby Care Monitor M2C 

Features

• Flexible monitor base for wall mounting or wrapping around objects
• Full HD 1080p video
• Manual view adjustment with horizontal 87.4 degrees, vertical 47 degrees, and 104 degrees diagonal
• Latest H256 chip for streaming clear video without lag (the short tail model)
• Two-way talk
• Temperature and humidity sensors with alerts
• Infrared night vision
• Split screen
• Sound and motion detector with alerts
• Lullabies and bedtime stories
• Feeding and diaper alarms with mommy assistant features
• Free iOS and android app
• Unlimited user access with privacy settings
• Record video, take photos and share on social media

Pros 

• It is easy to set up
• Great picture quality during the day
• Reasonably priced
• The app is easy to set up and use
• Includes wall mount and flexible tail that can wrap around objects conveniently
• No lags on video like other iBaby models

Cons

• There are several complaints that the camera disconnects from the wifi frequently
• Some customers report that the camera is easily damaged (breaks off from the monitor)

iBaby Monitor M6T

Features 

• HD 720p video
• Two-way talk
• Night vision
• 360 degree Pan, and 110-degree tilt
• Temperature and humidity sensors
• Sound and motion alerts
• Music player for lullabies and voice records
• Free iOS and android app
• Unlimited user access
• Social media sharing of videos and pictures

Pros 

• Good picture quality
• The music is cool
• Great for the price
• When it’s working, even on the app it’s great

Cons

• No alerts for temperatures or humidity
• The setup process takes long which is so frustrating for many customers
• Some customers complain that the app frequently freezes, making the monitoring unreliable.
• Some customers report that the monitor starts having problems after changing firmware and wifi
• It has an annoying sound/echo from the camera that can startle the baby
• You buy the mounting kit at an extra cost
• Some customers find the Pan and Tilt blocky when you want to adjust from the app

How to change wifi on iBaby monitor

• Connect your phone to a 2.4 GHz wifi network.
• Open the iBaby Care app, and create an account
• Plugin the power adaptor, and wait until you hear the jingle sound.
• Select ‘Add camera’ in the app, and connect the monitor to your phone with a USB cable.
• Share wifi settings and install the monitor.

iBaby m7 solid red light

When the status light on the back of the monitor shows a solid red light, it means the startup process was successful, but the monitor is not connected to wifi.

How to connect iBaby to wifi

If you are connecting for the first time ensure you have:

1. iBaby monitor power cord (not recommended to use other cords)
2. A genuine Apple cable
3. Make sure you are connecting to a 2.4GHz network with WPA/WPA2 protocols.

Connect your phone to the wifi network you want iBaby to connect to. But for optimal connectivity set the monitor on the same floor as your iBaby, less than 15 feet away.

Download the iBaby Care App for your iPhone or iPad or Android smartphone

This guide applies to iBaby monitors: M2S+, M6, M6T, M6S, M7, and M7 Lite

iBaby Apple iPhone or iPad installation

• Connect your phone to a 2.4 GHz wifi network
• Plug in the power adapter
• Connect the monitor to your phone with an OEM Apple cable.
• Two Alert Messages will appear
• Two Message Alerts will pop up on your device
• Share wifi Settings? – Tap Allow
• The iBaby Care app will Open on its own
• If you don’t have an iBaby account, tap Register to create one
• Choose your iBaby model
• Follow the on-screen instructions to install.

Android Installation:

• Connect your phone to a 2.4 or 5.0 GHz wifi network
• Plug in the power adapter
• Open the iBaby Care app
• If you don’t have an iBaby account, tap Register to create one.
• Choose your iBaby model
• Follow the on-screen instructions to install.

How to reset iBaby monitor

When you reset your monitor you will delete all your data. So, the first thing is to save all the images from your gallery into your phone. Then follow the steps below:

• Open the iBaby Care app
• Tap on Menu on the top left corner, then Settings.
• Tap on Delete (SN or monitor name)
• Log Out and Close the iBaby Care app
• Reboot your iBaby monitor by unplugging the power adapter and any other cables that may be connected
• Connect the iBaby monitor back into the power adapter
• Wait at least 60 seconds until the iBaby jingles or rotates.
• Press & hold down the reset button until you hear another jingle, then release
• Follow the on-screen instructions and ensure you’re in the same location with your monitor so your phone can communicate directly with your monitor.

How to reset your iBaby monitor when switching wifi connections:

• Start by disconnecting and reconnecting the power adapter from the wall outlet.
• Go to your iBaby Care app
• Tap Menu then Settings and Delete (your monitor)
• Log Out of your Account and Force close the app
• Locate the sunken master reset button on the bottom of your iBaby monitor. The black reset button is below the USB port.
• Press down the reset button for about 60 seconds to reset the monitor. After a few seconds, the status light will flash, and the monitor will make a low click sound. When the monitor starts flashing red light, it’s a confirmation the resetting was successful. Follow the instruction on your app to set the monitor.
• Two alert messages will pop-up, Tap ‘(Allow’) ‘.
• Follow the on-screen instructions to connect to your iBaby monitor

iBaby Brands FAQs